Futari Ecchi

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Futari Ecchi

ふたりエッチ (Futari Ecchi)
Genre	Comedy, Ecchi, Romance
Manga
Authored by	Katsu Aki
Publisher	Hakusensha
Serialized in	Young Animal
Original run	1997 – Present
No. of volumes	33 (Ongoing)
OVA
Directed by	Hiroshi Ishiodori Yuji Moriyama
Studio	Chaos Project
No. of episodes	4
Released	2002 - 2004

Futari Ecchi (ふたりエッチ Futari Etchi) (German: Manga Love Story), or Step Up Love Story, is a manga series by Katsu Aki (克・亜樹, actually a pen name).

Futari Ecchi is a story about a newlywed couple in their mid-twenties. Both virgins when married, the story chronicles their sexual explorations. The manga combines both pornographic elements as well as factual and informative elements. The title Futari Ecchi ("two person ecchi") is a play on a slang term for masturbation, hitori ecchi ("single person ecchi"). A four-episode anime OVA series was produced in 2002 and 2003. There are two issues completely set around the sexuality of women called Futari Ecchi for Ladies and an artbook with the title Yura Yura.

Futari Ecchi tells the story of Makoto and Yura Onoda, newlyweds in Tokyo. Many comedic complications get in their way, from nosy relatives to interfering co-workers, but they do love each other very much. So far, there are 33 volumes released. They are released in Young Animal magazine.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Characters

Makoto Onoda (小野田真 Onoda Makoto) is a 25-year-old junior cosmetics salaryman. He was introduced to Yura through an omiai. He is very critical of his own sexual abilities, but that doesn't hinder him having sexual fantasies with any pretty girl in his vicinity (ultimately, though, he stays faithful to Yura). Nevertheless, after his marriage he attracts the attention of a lot of female admirers.
Yura Onoda (小野田優良 Onoda Yūra) is Makoto's wife. Also twenty-five years old, Makoto is the first man she has ever had sex with. She is loving, but extremely naïve on sexual matters and too shy to try something new by herself. Beautiful and charming, she is also the target of attention by many men (although their behavior is - compared to the women who adore her husband - mostly passive longing). She also has the knack of befriending most of the women whom she should consider her rivals for Makoto's affections; Makoto's colleague Makie Sugiyama is a notable exception.
Rika Kawada (河田梨香 Kawada Rika) is Yura's younger sister. Experienced and promiscuous (even to the point where she keeps more than one boyfriend), she constantly teases and goads both Makoto and Yura into improving their "night life." She is actually in love with her '#1 boyfriend', Taku Yamada, but is too proud to admit this too often, even to herself.
Kyoko Omiya (大宮杏子 Ōmiya Kyōko) is Makoto's second cousin and an obstetrician and gynecologist. At the request of Makoto's mother, she moved in next door to the Onodas to encourage them to reproduce. A very dominant personality, she was still a virgin at age thirty and worries that she may be "running out of time." When she finally does get hooked up with Koichiro Matsuzaki, her new worry is that she may not be good enough for him.
Akira Onoda (小野田明 Onoda Akira) is Makoto's older brother. He is very nosy, and frequently pesters Makoto about his sex life and fancies himself as Makoto's tutor on the topic of pleasuring the wife. In order to appease his own sex drive, he frequently visits bordellos, a habit which drives his wife Sanae crazy.
Jun Onoda (小野田淳 Onoda Jun) is Makoto's naive younger sister. Initially she has a rather romantic look on a relationship, and her quest for true love lets her drift through a number of affairs before she finally finds happiness with her first boyfriend, Yosuke. Her experiences and introduction into the sexual world are followed throughout the series.
Hideki and Chiharu Kawada: Yura's and Rika's parents. Both are in their late 40's and animal lovers who keep a large number of cats and dogs in their home. While not as active as their children, they still enjoy a fulfilling sexual relationship. Chiharu frequently suffers from lumbago.
Mamoru and Akiko Onoda: Makoto's, Akira's and Yun's parents in their fifties. Mamoru works as a manager, while Akiko is a house-wife. Concerning their family's sex lifes, Akiko proves to be the more liberal (and encouraging) one, while her husband is overly sensitive about this topic, and way too protective of his youngest child, Yun.

Makoto's working-place

Makie Sugiyama, Mai Nagao, and Ikuyo Tonegawa form a singles' trio who are still looking for "Mr. Right". Makie is the most aggressive of the three; always targeting married men - she doesn't want to get "tied down" - she constantly tries to seduce Makoto, with little to no success.
Makoto's Colleagues: Inagaki and rabbit-toothed Okahama, a duo of two male colleagues who are rarley called by name. While Inagaki is rather calm, Okahama is an obnoxious sexist who constantly pesters his female colleagues to go to bed with him (of course, this does nothing to endear him to them).
Miyuki Kikuchi (菊池みゆき Kikuchi Miyuki) is a secretary at Makoto's office. She had a long-standing crush on Makoto while he had been working as her home tutor, but never told him (at least not in a way which was easily understandable; she tends to lapse into intellectual jargon when being nervous around men). She still longs for him in secret, but maintains a rather distant front. In turn, she is the object of affection by her lesbian co-worker Arisa, much to her annoyance.
Koichiro Matsuzaki: originally appearing as a macho trying to seduce any women he comes across, handsome Matsuzaki found his true match with Makoto's cousin Kyoko. While she rules him in everyday life, he is the more dominant in bed; but he also cares much for Kyoko and has resisted the temptation to conduct any more affairs.
Misaki Manaka is the firm's first new receptionist. She (both physically and emotionally) suffers from an overly large breast-size - a trait shared by her mother and her younger sister Kotone - and is therefore quite self-conscious and shy. Because of Makoto's kind treatment towards her, she has hopelessly fallen in love with him, even though she knows that he is married. She has made friends with Yura (despite her affections for her husband) and Miyuki, and is also close to her fellow receptionist Suzuka.
Suzuka Takahashi is the firm's second receptionist, who joins the firm some time after her friend Misaki. Like Misaki, she is rather self-conscious about her bust size - which is (in stark contrast to her friend's) very small. She is also very affectionate and prone to hugging people she likes when emotionally upset.
Kurumi Maki: the new head of Makoto's department is a very stern and (outwardly) unforgiving woman. It is revealed, however, that she is actually emotionally and sexually frustrated since her fiancee had left her ten years ago to further his own career; she vents this by lashing out at others. She is still interested in finding someone for a relationship, though she never shows.
Arisa Miya: Arisa, who works as an accountant in Makoto's firm, is a rather fluffy-headed joy de vivre persona with a great degree of optimism. She is also a lesbian. Ever since she has heard that her co-worker Miyuki is - seemingly - not interested in men, she incessantly flirts with her, hoping to win her affection. They have become sort-of friends, although Miyuki's repeated rebuffs have done little to dampen Arisa's hopes.

Neighbors

Mika and Takeshi Yabuki: A couple who meet Makoto and Yura while they still lived in their old apartment. Mika has suffered from a sexless year, which caused her emotional frustration and insecureness, thinking that she was no longer attractive to her husband. In fact, Takeshi's refusal came from a medical problem, which was solved after Makoto was able to give a hint. Ever since the Yabukis have restrengthened their relationship, and Maki has even managed to get pregnant. Just before the Onodas move into their new apartment, the Yabukis have moved out to a larger domicile to raise their growing family.
Narumi Ogata: This dreamy-looking young woman is the first of the neighbours Makoto and Yura meet in their new apartment. She is the lover of a business executive who visits her regularly. While she is rather absent-minded and behaving strangely (which includes openly talking about sexual matters or answering the door in her underwear), she is also very friendly.
Shoko Shiina. Shoko, an author of erotic novels, is the token lolita of the series; while she is in her early twenties, she looks like a ten- to twelve-year-old, and even dresses and acts the part! She has come to be friends with Rika, who shares her sexual experiences with Shoko for new inspirations, but Shoko is quite knowledgeable about sexual matters herself.
Ken Shiina. Shoko's husband, Ken, is a stay-at-home since Shoko is rather busy writing one piece after another. Tall and hulking, he is often mistaken for a yakuza at first glance, but he is actually a kind gentleman.
Rui Tsutsumi: a sixteen-year-old student at an all-girls school who lives with her divorced father and has yet to experience her 'first time', she has taken the mother/wife figure role for her insecure father and is therefore somewhat annoyed that he is currently getting close to Mrs. Ichijo. Rui models her image of romance and love on the Onodas and has developed a crush on her teacher Keisuke Watanabe, who has recently moved into the same apartment building.
Hisao Tsutsumi, Rui's father, is a very nervous and depressed person ever since his divorce. With a lack of intimate company he has taken to peeking in on his daughter (mostly in unproper situations) and had a very bad outlook on life. Recently, however, he has become close to Mrs. Ichijo, much to Rui's disconcertion.
Kaho Ichijo, a piano teacher in her late twenties, represents the stereotype of a Japanese noblewoman: beautiful, dignified and quiet. She is a divorced wife (though she never elaborates as to why her husband had divorced her) and suffers from a weak constitution, which also makes her highly suspectible to alcohol. She has (more or less accidentally) harassed Makoto on several occasions, but recently she has become close to Mr. Hisao Tsutsumi.
Kiyomi Mizuhara represents the frustrated housewife in the series; mostly because her husband Masatoshi, who works at a commercial agency, rarely helps with the housechores, and when they do have sex he doesn't give much for her satisfaction. Mizuhara vents her displeasure by collecting and spreading bad gossip. She has two little daughters at ages 5 and 7.
Keisuke Watanabe is a new tenant at the apartment complex. A teacher at a girls' school, he is quite shy and also a parasite single - two factors he is very conscious about when dealing with women. He has developed a crush on Yura and in turn is the object of affection of his student Rui Tsutsumi, who lives in the same complex.

other characters

Taku Yamada: Rika's '#1 boyfriend', who is a rather self-centered sexist. And just like Rika, he is not very concerned about having more than one relationship, although he does react jealously when he finds her involved with other men.
Shiori Tetawaki: a young porno star and a former classmate of Makoto. She actually had a long-standing crush on Makoto, but he has been too oblivious to realize it. She has a few cameos in the series; her movies are a favorite of Makoto's when he feels the need to masturbate.
Kotone Manaka: Misaki's younger sister (and like her, fitted with overly large breasts) and one of Rui Tsutsumi's best friends. Aggressively flirtatious, she has even tried to seduce Makoto (her sister's love interest) on one occasion.
Shiho Shouji: the second of Rui Tsutsumi's best friends. With her shyness, she rather sets a strong contrast to her two friends.

[edit] Style and theme

There are many scenes in the series that look like they are actually happening but are then revealed to be the sexual fantasies of Makoto or another character. This means there are many scenes of Makoto having sex with other characters, while in truth he only has sex with Yura. One of the goals of the series seems to be explaining how to maintain a happy, monogamous relationship.

One of the fetishes explored in the series is cosplay.